Unexpected events? What was I thinking???

So two weeks ago I titled my post Unexpected Events... prophetic?  I had no idea what was ahead... like most of you life has been turned upside down and shaken strongly in the last week... here in Ohio the schools are closed (probably until the beginning of May as it stands right now), restaurants and bars are closed except for carryout or delivery, department stores and other retail places are closed, and most recently hair salons and barber shops... it gonna get ugly in more ways than one... no one needs to see my roots...literally...

And I'm not gonna lie... I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this... I'm seeing plenty of pictures on social media about how much everyone is getting done... that hasn't been the story here... I'm having trouble focusing... more than my usually BB in a box car behavior... and I've spent waaay too much time mindlessly scrolling  through Instagram.. NOTE to others... when you follow over 3800 people on IG you can scroll for hours and never see a repeat post... really, you can...  you probably shouldn't do this... if I can't be a good example, perhaps I can be a warning... don't do as I do... unless you want to... and then do it... right now it makes me feel better and gets my mind off of things and I figure I shouldn't beat myself up over it.

I have found that staying in my pajamas all day seems like a great idea... it isn't... I'm definitely better when I get up, make the bed and get dressed... I'll admit I haven't put on any makeup for a week but I have on clothes that I can go out in public with... and the only people who've seen my face were at a drive up window and I don't think they are judging.

I think it is okay to admit it is a scary time...I have plenty of food and other essential supplies... I'm not a hoarder or a prepper but I do like have a nice stash of paper and cleaning products and frozen meat and foods ... my inventory of TP has been ridiculed in the past... who's laughing now??? l use to tease that TP would be currency in an apocalypse... pretty smart ain't I?  And it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) I have lots of essential crafty stuff... I have plenty of yarn, fabric and thread...absolutely no chance I'll run out of things to do...when I can focus and do them.

Also these changes are only happened a week ago (although it feel like a month)... it takes time to adjust to change... and the older I get the longer it takes... like getting up off the floor... I can do it but you can't rush me...

This morning when I woke up this popped into my head...

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Right now I'm praying for wisdom...snd in the spirit of being more cheerful, I'll show you some of the Spring decorating that I completed before everything changed...

Here's the shelf unit... there is stuff from last Spring and new stuff... and I tried to arrange things differently...

Starting at the top I've got Ah tis' Spring from Notforgotten Farms... love that bunny... and a Spring Lizzie Kate piece on the front of a little caddy filled with tulips... I do LOVE tulips... the bunny jars are both new purchases this year... from Marshalls/TJ Maxx/Homegoods ....

Next shelf  has a little lady with a BIG tulip being cozy with one of my carrot cars... she's from Pineberry Lane.... and Prarire Schooler March - Daffodils is flanked by cut bunnies that look like foil wrapped chocolate... but they aren't... they are some sort of pottery...

Third shelf has Sampler Hill  by With Thy Needle & Thread... I love this sampler... did you know there are 99 tulips in the border?  Some of the ceramic bunnies here are old and some are new... the cabbage I picked up this year.

It is a very nice display and I'm enjoying the cheerful colors... most needed at this time.

Outside on the porch I decorated the little shelf unit...

Starting at the top ... another carrot car... you can tell I'm infatuated with them?... and a paper mache glittery bunny head...  Below that some candles and candle holders that I white washed... they came from Hobby Lobby ... and I love the bunny in the decorated egg... I picked him up at the super markets last year.... On the bottom is a collection of bunny heads... the lastest purchase is the one with the yellow glasses...

isn't he adorable??

And one more display... this is in my TV cabinet...

the little chick jar with the egg was something I saw on IG but couldn't find anywhere locally... my friend Stephanie found it on a site called Mecari... had to have it... think I'll use it again when I bring out all my chickens in the summer.

As for accomplishing anything, there isn't much to show... I did get all of the red part of Santa's coat stitched on Elliott's stocking... it is some kind of velvet fiber and it was very nice to stitch with and looks and feels lovely... here's  a pic of the back as it shows more clearly what is done...

and here's where I was a month ago...

It makes me feel better to see some progress on this....

And since I couldn't settle on what to stitch... should I start something new... or pick up something old... I knew I needed something that didn't require a lot of decision making so I turned to something I always love stitching ... a Blackbird Design sampler...

this one is O Joyous Day... I got it several months ago from a shop in Wisconsin as I remember... it was released at Market so it is easy to find now... not gonna apologize for the wrinkles...I'm very happy with the turquoise linen ... but I should have cut the fabric larger...not a lot of extra fabric ... but enough to have it framed close to the design which I like.   I have one more flower to do in this section... checked my count and oh is is off... not ripping it out... luckily the piece has 3 sections and I should be able to get back on track...

I think I'll wait to pick a date for a Joyous Day... perhaps the date when it is okay for us over 60's to return to the outside world....

So I'm going to work hard to be positive next week... things are starting well... my son and daughter-in-law put a bid in on a bigger house on Friday and their offer was accepted... the real estate market is red hot here ... the house was listed less than 24 hours and there were multiple bids... the inspection is Monday and I'll get to see the inside then... the online listing only had pictures of the exterior and they didn't take any pictures while they were looking at the house... they had a showing at 4pm and by 5pm had made the offer...their real estate agent put it together before they left the house... less than 3 hours later their bid was accepted... quite a whirlwind... now instead of being walking distance from my house...about 3 minutes... it will be about  7 minute car trip...not too bad... I drove past the house yesterday and it is a lovely neighborhood... sidewalks on both sides of the street and mature trees... the neighborhood is about 50 years old... lots of kids out playing so it should be a perfect spot for Elliott and hopefully a sibling in the future... we shall see.. definitely something positive to focus on.

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I should spend some time seeing what others are up to... and I'm hoping for some sunny weather... although the forecast isn't promising... the day I got to work out in my yard last week did wonders for my state of mind... lets hope that next week brings some good news for all of us... take good care of yourselves... hugs!!  from a safe social distance....

happy stitching-
carol fun

Unexpected events on a Slow Stitching Sunday....

Well that week didn't turn out how I thought it would... it looked like a great week... the only thing I had to do was babysit Elliott on Tuesday...no appointments...no lunch engagements... no where to go... I was going to get sooooo much done... sewing, stitching, knitting, decorating... and then Monday came along... I started feeling icky around 5am... the fact that I know what time it was is a harbinger of a bad event as I'm NEVER up that early... I fought off the erpy- ness (I know it is a made up word) for several hours but eventually my stomach got the upper hand... ugh ugh ugh... spent the day in bed or in the bathroom... good thing it is a small house and a very short distance from one room to another... you know why... I think I got some bad lettuce as I had a salad for lunch and dinner on Sunday and I was the only one who got sick... other people who I dined with ate the carbs and they were fine... so much for eating healthy ... I should have had the burger...and the fries!! 

For the rest of the week I've been off... babied my stomach... lettuce has not passed my lips...which is so strange... I usually have a salad for at least one meal a day... I've been tired too... and Dan the handyman was here M/T/Th/F... he was busy busy busy ... but the job still isn't complete... as of Friday he's got all the doors hung, the trim and doors patched, sanded and primed and he's painted (first coat) 3 doors... remember there are 13 doors up (the special order  14th door still hasn't come in) and on Friday he told me the doors will need 2 coats of paint...which I can see ... and it might as well be done now or it won't get done... he wasn't available for work this weekend as he had other work obligations with his landlord, so it has been a quiet here... I'm ambivalent... I want the job done but I'm enjoying having the house back to myself... 

The week had a full gamut of weather from snow flurries to sunny and 50... today is suppose to hit 60 and the temperature is forecast to stay in that range all next week... but with rain... I could do without so much rain... I finally got the energy together to banish the snowmen to their plastic bins and broke out the Spring/Easter decor... I was talking to a friend and said I was happy that I've come up with a schedule for seasonal decorating that makes me happy...

Jan/Feb    Snowmen

Mar/Apr  Easter/Spring .... bunnies and chicks

May/Jun  Spring/Summer... birds

July          Patriotic

August     Chickens

Sept          Fall ... pumpkins

Oct           Halloween... more pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns

Nov          Thanksgiving... turkeys

Dec          Christmas

It is a bit of work... luckily my younger son totes the plastic bins up and down the stairs for me... he likes when I decorate so he's a good sport about the heavy lifting... I do look back at the pictures I take each season and see how I did things in the past... some things I put back in the same places as they won't fit elsewhere but I do try to change things up ... this time around I've got a new display area in my kitchen which was fun to to play with... and there is where I'll start...

this is the shelf box that I got at Hobby Lobby... I've been enamored with IG displays of Rae Dunn and did a little shopping ... picked up my first pieces of Rae Dunn... a collection is starting... my goal is just to do seasonal pieces ... so I got the PEEP eggs cups and the carrot car  Hop to It... a friend contributed the Cute Chick mug and the HOP egg cups in the bottom chicken wire area... that chick jar had to come home with me too... shopping at Marshalls/TGMaxx/Homegoods for these items... not places I normally go ... 

I put up my bright tulip quilt in the living room... the tulips are my take on the Lori Holt pattern  Tulip Patch in her Quilty Fun book ... this one is very scrappy and bright... 

the tier tray is a great spot for small cross stitch pieces... at the top is one I just finished ... it is part of the Hip Hop pdf chart from Primitive Acorns which you can find here... 

the other bunnies are Prairie Schooler  No. 178...other little knickknacks I've collected including cute bunny salt and pepper shakers from Cracker Barrel... I noticed this year the price went up to $1.29 from $.99... but the increase didn't stop me from picking up some new ones... 

I put my pansy plates in the same place as always because I also put my pansy quilt in the same place on back of the couch... 

they are all just 4 feet apart... and I pulled together my 2 pieces of vintage looking chick stuff with some cute chicks... to top off my tier table... 

the little yellow cabinet is again featuring my mercury glass duck and some cute cross stitch pieces... the white egg piece was a gift ...the bunny is  from With Thy Needle & Thread's Holiday Hoopla series and the Lizzie Kate Spring String is a long pin pillow...

I'm still working on the big shelf display so I'll save it for next week ... I did get the Prairie Schooler Daffodils/March piece FFO'd...

I painted the "frame" multiple times... it started out bright yellow...ow... too bright... repainted it a softer yellow...not enough contrast with the stitching... broke out some green paint... lightened it up and slapped it on... I like the messy brush strokes on this ... kinda like the wind the piece talks about...

I worked a little on Elliott's stocking but never made it to the needlepoint store... maybe this week...  I need to make a decision on background color soon... 

And in case you think I forgot... I didn't... my semi-annual rant against Daylight Saving Time... and this is the one I hate the most... who wants to lose an hour of sleep???  There have been clinical studies that this change is hazardous to many people's health... accident rate increase in the first week of the time change, as do the occurance of heart attacks... the human body wasn't designed for this ... everyone could wait a couple of weeks and it will get lighter earlier ... waiting won't kill you but DST just might... I know that some states have voted to not do DST anymore but they are waiting on Congress to approve the measure... let's just do it for the entire US... I think it would make the majority of people happy... and on top of the time change this week you have a full moon and a Friday the 13th... my deepest sympathy to teachers and health care workers... along with carnivorously you've got a rough week ahead... and why don't people wash their hands more?? I've been admonished to do this since childhood... soap and hand sanitizer have been flying out of the stores... really?? what have people been doing before this?... don't bother to answer ... I know... I'm pretty sure that the bad lettuce I got last week wasn't washed properly or was prepared by someone who hadn't washed their hands... okay... I'll stop ranting now...

 I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... and I hope to have some time to sit in the sun on my porch... I'm not cooking dinner... think we'll do take out from somewhere... no salad for me... maybe pasta...  the upcoming week looks quiet but then so did last week... I'm just hoping that all door project gets wrapped up... but then there are other projects I want Dan to tackle... but none of them seem as complicated... at least I hope they aren't...

Have a great week everyone... 

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Topsy-turvy on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

Hello --well it has been a  bit topsy-turvy around here for the past 2 weeks.... first there was a week of appointments and problems to be dealt with and then this last week has had me glued to the house dealing with a home improvement project which isn't totally done ... but it is getting there...for over a year I've wanted to replace the interior doors in my house...they were the original 1953 heavy blonde wood ...nice but i prefer white doors... thought about having them painted but it would have required taking them down, sanding them, painting and rehanging the doors...and that wouldn't have addressed the issue of the door knobs that have been falling off or the ugly hinges... soooooo... I've opted for new white 6 panel doors with the brushed nickel hinges and door levers...

Now I need 14 doors for my little house... and it needed 5 different sized stock door slabs along with 1 custom slab... and those doors that can be replaced with the stock sized doors, are all slightly different sizes from the stock slab... so each and every door needs to be custom sized and trimmed by my handyman Dan... and that takes time... a lot of time... so far it has taken a least 2 hours per door and he is not a slow worker.  The doors have all been hung at this point... new hinges put on the door frames ... Dan wants to start to fill in the holes in the door jams where the old hardware was but it is a multi step process as the old hinges were HUGE and ugly and left BIG voids... then he still needs to paint the slabs ( I thought they came painted they are only primed and it is a creamy white, not the white WHITE the trim is painted in my house) and install the door levers... he's been here since Wednesday... and today is Sunday... and I think it is going to take until Wednesday or Thursday to complete this job.

Dan is a great guy and a great handyman... I am so lucky to have him in my life... my little house would not be in such great shape without him... he paints and does construction and minor plumbing and electric and he trustworthy and doens't cut corners... which takes time... and I don't know why it is, but it is this way, I don't get much done when there is someone else in my house... and it alters my routine (I've had to get up early every day this week...ugh)...but,  I can't wait for the doors to be completed... they already make my house look lighter and brighter... it will be worth it, I know...

In the meantime, I have a couple of things to show that I've been working on... first... I've got Prairie Schooler Daffodils all stitched...

still needs to be FFO'd (fully finished object) and I planned to do that before today, as it is March 1, but didn't make it... this is another piece of 32 ct linen I painted...  I also planned to have my snowmen put away and my Spring decor up... but along with the home improvement project, the weather has got me out of whack... for the last 4 days I've woke up ...early, ugh... to  dusting of snow and cold temperatures ... this is the most winter weather we've had all season... it is suppose to hit mid 50's this afternoon and the forecast calls for more Spring-y weather going forward so hopefully when Dan is done with the doors I'll re-do the decor in the house...I've gotten some cute ceramic bunnies from Homegoods/Marshalls/TJMaxx... even a piece or two of Rae Dunn... I am NOT planning to collect Rae Dunn... but... there are some cute seasonal pieces and I've seen some bird houses I wouldn't mind having... oh no... not another collection...LOL

I have been sewing... simple stuff... I threw together this top one evening...took about 5 hours total...honest... I had seen this quilt ...click  here .. on Instagram... simple but striking...now there isn't a full picture but what I saw intrigued me... I loved the color palette... gold, deep turquoise, plum... I added some olive green and threw in some Charlie Harper prints with light backgrounds...

I love how it turned out... it is a free pattern but I can't find the link at the moment... so I'll just tell you it starts with 5" x 10" rectangles of fabric... nothing hard... now the really dark pieces in the top are plum... and what you see is the total extent of plum in my stash...not much... I'll be on the lookout for more ... I sent it off to Quilting by David to get the same loopy panto...and I put together a back from my stash so it was a totally FREE quilt...oh I'm so proud of me...LOL

Then I turned my attention to blocks that have been languishing since July 2015... I had made these Charming Star blocks in an I Spy fashion for at the time, my yet to be conceived grandchild... well said grandchild will be a year old in April and I'd like this to be part of his present sooooo...

all sewn together... got a turquoise minkee back for it at Homegrown, Homesewn...and sent it off to Quilting by David... it will be back in plenty of time for Elliott's party.

Then Friday morning I had a idea about the ziploc bag of leftover American Jane blocks in my sewing room... what if I made a crazy quilt with them??? hmmm... well it might look like this...

I haven't got it all sewn together yet but I think this is the final layout... now there are blocks from at least 4 different quilts I've started and not completed or extra blocks from other quilts... all American Jane collections except for a scattering of backgrounds that are other collections... I know that a couple of blocks were part of a start of a Farmer's Wife SAL that I never  could keep up with...the big blocks were suppose to be flower tops for a Lori Holt quilt...  and the coffee cups, the baskets, the apples, the trees and the stars were part of a quilt in BH&G magazine that didn't get finished either... oh well... I've always wanted to do a quilt like this so I'm HAPPY!!!  I haven't touched the Fresh as a Daisy blocks... and I've only gotten one more 49 patch block done in the last 2 weeks... too distracted by the home improvement project.

A side note - I always like square quilts... and most of my quilts have been square quilts... till recently when every quilt has been a rectangle... hmmm... new direction??

So today is March 1... for me the beginning of Spring... I want to do a good cleaning in my house, but I'm not starting till Dan is done with the doors...  there is  fine saw dust everywhere ... but then there are other projects I have for him too... he use to be available only on weekends but now he's open during the week too... and a have a long list of little jobs I'd like him to tackle... he's happy for the work and I'll be happy to get things taken care of ... should be a busy Spring/Summer around here... I have 2 painting projects I want done... one inside and one outside... will need the weather to cooperate for that and the forecast while warmer has a lot of rain in it... ugh...

OH before I forget... the dahlia tubers are in at Costco... last year I bought 6 bags for a total of 60 tubers ...I bought some smaller bags here and there too but that was my bulk purchase last year... I dug up all the tubers but didn't tag them so when I re-plant those it will be a surprise what comes up... I plan to do better this year with labelling the dahlias... and to start that project I bought not 6 but 7 bags of tubers... I know I should hang my head in shame but instead I'm doing a little happy dance...

I thought that the varieties this year would be the same as last year but they are all different as far as I can remember... look at that ruffly purple and white one in the last bag... I think they are called cactus dahlias and I don't have any like that.... soooooo, that's my excuse for buying 7 bags... hard to pass them up at Costco prices... I plan to plant them closer together this year so I can have more flowers...I've seen pictures of gardens with the plants all packed together and I LOVE that look... now to order some zinnia seeds...

So new month, new plans ... I am going to focus on Elliott's stocking for the month of March... I need to go back to the needlepoint shop and get some more fibers and order the background wool... I know I have till October to finish it but I'd feel better the sooner it is done... I may give myself permission to do a little seasonal piece but the majority of my stitching hours need to be the stocking... I'm already drooling over the new crossstitch that is coming out at market... ALL of Brenda Gervais pieces are WONDERFUL... and I've seen some Kathy Barrick and Liz Mathews stuff I like too ... and Blackbird Designs doesn't usually reveal till the actual market and you know there will be something gorgeous there that I'll have to have ...


Well I will link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I should have some time to look at blogs this evening... doing lunch with my son and Elliott and then watching Elliott for a couple of hours so my son can get some work done... my DIL is out of town for a work event... and my son's job is really busy busy busy at the moment... happy to help out a bit...

Hope you have a great week ahead... I'm looking forward to newly painted doors and some warmer temperatures... and perhaps releasing  the Spring decor from their plastic bins... that would certainly make for a sunnier mood...

happy stitching-
carol fun